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Inklings Issue 2.22
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i n k l i n g s
Newsletter for Writers on the Net
Issue 2.22 Wed, Nov.27, 1996
================================================================
<http://www.inkspot.com/inklings/issues/ink0222.html>
INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE SAGARA
SF/Fantasy author
FRESH INK - resources for writers on the net
Market Information
COLUMN TOPICS:
PAULA GURAN: Why submit to the small press?
SHARON ZUKOWSKI: Finding a publisher for a detective novel
It's time for the Inklings Annual Reader Survey! *Please* take
the time to fill out the survey...your participation would be
greatly appreciated. I rely heavily on your feedback to plan
future issues. Your personal info will be kept completely
confidential, though I may use aggregate results (e.g. 35% of
respondents are interested in freelance writing) when approaching
potential sponsors. All respondents will be automatically entered
in a prize draw.
The 1996 Inklings reader survey is available online at:
http://www.inkspot.com/~ohi/ink/survey1996.html. If you have a
forms-capable browser, I suggest you use the online survey
instead of the text-only version.
Please show your support for Inklings by partipating in this
survey...thanks!
This issue sponsored in part by:
================================================================
* Mercury Mail * http://www.merc.com
We deliver personalized news, stocks, sports scores and weather
updates directly to your e-mail. Every day. Absolutely FREE.
Visit http://www.merc.com or e-mail signup7@merc.com
================================================================
* Samurai Consulting * http://www.samurai.com
Services include internet consulting, WWW page design, electronic
newsletters, mailing lists, FTP sites, system maintenance,
training. Email: Bryan Fullerton <bryanf@samurai.com>
================================================================
ISSN 1205-6413. Copyright 1996 Debbie Ridpath Ohi. See end of
issue for more copyright details, and info on how to subscribe
and unsubscribe. Send questions and comments to
editor@inklings.com. For information on how you can become an
Inklings sponsor, send e-mail to editor@inklings.com with "rate
card" in the subject header.
================================================================
FRESH INK
=========
National Association of Science Writers
---------------------------------------
Includes info about the NASW, email mailing lists, related
associations and other resources.
http://nasw.org/
Gordon Kirkland: Large Humorist at Large
----------------------------------------
Okay, so I might be mentioning this URL mainly because I'm a
fan of his columns and he says nice things about Inkspot. But
his site also contains a list of resources useful to writers,
especially journalists.
http://www.reporters.net/kirkland/
Help save Project Gutenberg!
----------------------------
Project Gutenberg takes books whose copyrights have expired and
converts them into text files, making them available to the
general public at no charge. It is currently seeking financial
donations and volunteers to help create new Etexts.
More info at: http://promo.net/pg/nl/pgny_nov96.html
Project Gutenberg: http://www.etext.org/Gutenberg/
Jack Lynch's Grammar and Style Notes
------------------------------------
Everything you ever wanted to know about grammar and style.
Includes links to online and offline additional sources.
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~jlynch/Grammar/
How To Publish An Online Newsletter
-----------------------------------
Recently I've had several people ask me for advice on how to
publish an electronic newsletter like Inklings, so I've put
together a basic FAQ.
http://www.inkspot.com/~ohi/ink/newsletterinfo.html
LISZT: Searchable directory of email discussion groups
------------------------------------------------------
Over 65,000 lists.
http://catseye.bluemarble.net/
================================================================
MARKET INFORMATION
==================
Please note: Inklings does its best to print only accurate market
info. However, it cannot be held responsible for lost postage,
time, etc. that you may incur due to inaccuracies. Do not send
submissions by email before inquiring first. You should get
current, detailed guidelines before submitting. Include SASE for
snailmail replies. More market info at:
http://www.inkspot.com/~ohi/inkspot/marketinfo.html.
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING MARKET SOURCES:
SCAVENGER'S NEWSLETTER
Monthly market info letter for sf/f/h/m writers &
artists.
More info at:
http://users.aol.com/Lemarchand/scavenger.html
THE GILA QUEEN'S GUIDE TO MARKETS
POB 97, Newton, NJ 07860-0097 Email:K.Ptacek@genie.com
http://www.teleport.com/~alecwest/gila.htm
CHILDREN'S WRITERS MARKET LIST
Available by e-mail or snailmail. Email
mshauers@midusa.net.
==-----------------------------------------------------==
"FNASR" = First North American Serial Rights, "SASE" =
self-addressed, stamped envelope, "simsubs" = simultaneous
submissions, "mss" = manuscript, "RT" = response time, "GL" =
guidelines.
PAYING MARKETS:
Gothic Journal, Keeping You In Romantic Suspense
------------------------------------------------
POB 6340, Elko, NV USA 89802-6340. Editor: Kristi Lyn Glass.
Bimonthly. "Audience: readers, authors, aspiring authors,
booksellers, librarians, agents, editors, and publishers of
romantic suspense, romantic mystery, gothic romance,
supernatural romance, and woman-in-jeopardy romance novels."
ARTICLES: 1000-2000 wds, pays $20. AUTHOR PROFILES:
3000-4000 wds, pays $30, query first. BOOK REVIEWS: Query first.
250-300 wds, pays $5-10. (Source: The Gila Queen's Guide To
Markets).
Email: klass@GothicJournal.com
URL: http://www.visi.com/romance/
Travelers' Tales: A Dog's World
-------------------------------
Christine Hunsicker (Contributing Editor), Travelers' Tales, 101A
Morris St., Sebastopol, CA 95472. Seeking true (non-fiction)
personal stories and anecdotes involving dogs and travel for
anthology. "For those who write about travel adventures with
their canine companions, we would like to hear how traveling with
their dogs changed their travel experiences, for better or worse,
from what they might have encountered on their own or with other
people. Ideally we would like to include stories about working
dogs (assistance and rescue dogs, etc.), dog shows, dog events
such as the Iditarod, and pieces that explore a dog's role/life
in various cultures throughout the world." DEADLINE: Jan.31/97.
LENGTH: "Anything from one paragraph to 2000 wds". FORMAT: Your
name, story title, and page number must be on each page. Mss will
NOT be returned. Email submissions okay. PAYMENT:"10 cents per
word (plus immortality for your dog). Travelers' Tales pays
non-exclusive rights, in all languages, worldwide."
Email: ttsubmit@ora.com
Highlights For Children
-----------------------
805 Church Street, Honesdale, PA 18431: Rich Wallace, Manuscript
Coordinator. This secular publication buys fiction of 200 to 900
words for children 2 to 12. They pay $120 up for ALL rights on
acceptance. They report and pay quickly, but may hold material
for years before publishing. They assign writers personal editors
after a sale. No pen and paper puzzles used here. HIGHLIGHTS has
now piloted an internation edition! (Canada & South Africa,
primarily). This will use British English. They are open to
writers with expertise in specific geographic areas. THE THEME
OF THE FICTION CONTEST THIS YEAR IS MYSTERIES: THERE IS A $1000
PRIZE. Submissions are due between 1/1 & 2/28 and should be no
longer than 900 words (shorter for very young
readers). (Source: Children's Writers Market List)
The Urbanite
------------
Mark McLauglin, Editor, POB 4737, Davenport IA 52808. Was listed
in Writer's Digest Fiction 50. Now reading for issue #9: Strange
Places. "Stories and poetry can be set anywhere except
contemporary reality...For this issue we would love to see more
exotic, truly imaginative settings. Dazzle us with the scope of
your imagination. Most stories are rejected because we know how
they're going to end: many writers (even some experienced ones)
are too heavy-handed with their foreshadowing. We look for
intriguing, character-based fiction." Query for non-fiction.
PAYMENT: fiction/nonfiction 2-3 cents/wd, Poetry $10/poem.
(Source: Scavenger's Newsletter, Nov/96)
http://rictus.web.aol.com/urbanite/index.htm
FitnessLink
-----------
Online health and fitness site. Seeks articles and tips. Feature
articles paid 5 cents/wd. "Our goal is to provide an educational
resource designed to promote the free flow of useful information.
We want to inspire viewers to pursue healthy lifestyles, as well
as provide the ongoing support that assures long-term fitness.
Editorial focuses on real life health and fitness issues,
targeted to everyone from the couch potato to the competitive
athlete. We strive to provide information that will appeal to
those interested in health and fitness at any level." Articles
should have narrow subject focus and broad viewer appeal. (Info
rec'd Nov.22/96).
Email: shannon@fitnesslink.com (Shannon L. Entin)
URL: http://www.fitnesslink.com
Website seeking writer/editor to produce health news/features
-------------------------------------------------------------
Experience with a large print or online publication desirable,
but not a must. Salary and stock options, excellent benefits.
Based in Connecticut/New York City area, with some telecommuting
possible. Fax or e-mail resume to 203-743-1299 or
Terry Dunkle at tdunkle@ix.netcom.com.
Live Wire
---------
8121 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati OH 45231: Margie Redford,
Editor. This new religious publication is for the older age group
(5th & 6th grade) formerly served by R-A-D-A-R. They do not want
fiction from adults (they will use both fiction and poetry from
preteens), but do want true stories about preteens, puzzles and
many other items. Mostly short, to about 250 words. They have a
theme list and regular writers for R-A-D-A-R received check lists
for interest areas. You might be able to get one by asking so
you, too, would be in their files for special projects. They pay
.03-.07 per word, $15-$17.50 per puzzle. It sounds as if they may
also pay preteen writers something. Pay is on acceptance. They
buy either first or reprint rights NOTE: R-A-D-A-R still is
published. The only change there is that it now is aimed only at
3rd and 4th graders (8-9). (Source: Children's Writer Market
List)
================================================================
INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE SAGARA
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
<editor@inklings.com>
Michelle Sagara is the author of the sf/fantasy The Sundered
series (Del Rey), many short stories, and the more recent Hunter
Series (DAW) written under her married name, Michelle West:
HUNTER'S OATH, HUNTER'S DEATH. Upcoming publications: BROKEN
CROWN (DAW, July/97), THE SHINING COURT (Daw, book-in-progress).
Michelle currently writes the Ask The SF/Fantasy Writer column
for Inklings. You can send your question to
Michelle.Sagara@sff.net with "inklings question" in the subject
header. Selected questions will be answered in upcoming issues.
How did you make your first sale?
--------------------------------
I finished my first novel, having written two short stories in
genre, neither of which sold; the novel itself started out as
another short story, but it grew well beyond the bounds of short
(and in fact beyond the bounds of a single novel) fiction. I
sent it out to Del Rey. It was read there by Veronica Chapman,
and although she liked many of the novel's parts, she didn't care
for the protagonist (!) and returned the manuscript with a letter
to that effect, asking to see anything else that I had written to
date, or would write in the future. But she also asked me to
call her. I did, and after that conversation began a rewrite,
which cleared up the problems she had with the book; it was then
sent to Lester del Rey for his approval. Which it didn't get. He
thought that a 90 page flashback toward the end of the novel was
so crucial to the understanding of the novel that it should
essentially be its own book -- so I wrote -that- book as a
prequel, and that book was INTO THE DARK LANDS, which did meet
his approval, and which subsequently became my first sale.
When planning a series (like your Hunter series, for example),
how much preparation do you do before actually starting to write?
----------------------------------------------------------------
This is one of those questions that changes with time. For me,
the entire process by which I write a novel has changed
considerably since I finished the first one, an evolution on a
small scale which seems non-existant until I really think about
it. When I sat down to start the SUNDERED I did very little
preparation; I sat down in front of a Mac 512E and began to
write. I didn't break the book up into chapters (which was a
mistake, because the clipboard didn't handle more than a 30 page
chunk, and I wrote in 60 -- there were a LOT of crashes); I
didn't outline at all -- I just wrote.
Why did I work this way?
Because it was the only way I could. Learning to write a novel
isn't learning to write -a- novel, it's learning how -you- write
-your- novel. At that time, if I knew more than where the story
was emotionally going -- what end the whole novel was trying to
justify and support -- I just couldn't write it. Outlining the
story -was- telling the story, if inelegantly; I didn't need to
sit down and put it into a much longer and more difficult form
once I'd told the story in any fashion at all.
Four books came, and four books went -- and I learned a lot about
process and history and revision in that time.
When I sat down to write the HUNTER books, I wrote about 200
pages worth of background "bible" for myself -- history,
mythology snippets, political notes (as in, descriptions of key
Houses, guilds, churches), a time-line -- before I committed a
word to paper. Four novels had given me the confidence to know
that I could do a lot, lay down a lot, and not get "bored" or
dissipate the emotional energy which is the core of my writing.
It's funny -- intellectually, I know that writing is work, a form
of concentrated effort not unlike, say, programming something
difficult. But there's some part of me, some little, difficult
part, that still thinks there's some inherent magic and mystery
in the process, and that if I "know" too much, I'll somehow spoil
it.
I'm already working, in the background, on the bits and pieces
that will go into the next set of books, which is -several- books
down the road; I find that the more time I give a story on the
backburner, the richer and deeper it is when I finally sit down
to it. I trust my instincts, but they have to have time to dig
into a story and grow roots.
Did you have a writing mentor early in your career? If so, how
did he/she help you?
----------------------------------------------------------------
I didn't have a mentor who taught me -how- to write, but I had a
mentor who taught me a lot about the publishing industry as a
whole, which in many ways was just as important -- Mike Resnick,
hugo award-winning author and generally friendly curmudgeon. He
gave me my first entry into the short story market, by asking me
to write for the anthologies that he was, at that time, editing.
And he patiently took me aside (well, perhaps patience is
stretching the word a tad -- he's got good lungs :-)) and
explained a lot about the procedures of publishing. As I worked
full-time in a bookstore and thought I knew everything, a lot of
what he had to say, about jobbers and the ID distribution chain,
came as a surprise to me. Knowledge begets confidence, and I
think that I've grown much more confident in my understanding of
my chosen profession over the years in a way that can be directly
attributed to him.
Why do you write?
-----------------
Tricky question. Ask me that question every day of my life and
you'll probably get at least a dozen different answers, which I
think is a direct result of an attempt to break a complex,
organic structure down into simple sentences. Why do I write?
I write because I want to express an emotion. Or rather, because
I want to express it in such a way that another person can
experience it as fully and completely as I do when I conceive of
the story that encloses it. There are times when I look at
complex issues -- terrorism, for instance -- and I can see both
sides of the issue so clearly it becomes something that is solely
human. Robbed of the political face, it's just tragedy, a
continuum of anger and fear and hatred and loyalty. I read an
article once about two women who were working for peace in the
Gaza strip. One was Jewish, and one Palestinian. And they had
both lost their families to terrorists. One of the women had --
god, this is so terrible -- smothered her two year old daughter
while they hid in a close; her husband and five year old were
slaughtered outside of that door. And yet, these two women --
they rise above the horror and the guilt and the terrible,
profound anger that comes from loss -- and they fill me with
admiration. And that admiration, that sense of who they -must-
be to come this far sinks roots, grows in memory, becomes
something that comes back to the world, filtered through my
voice, because it's the only way I can lay it to rest in my own
soul.
But I also write because I read; I write because books were both
a profound comfort and a profound challenge while I was growing
up -- if that process ever stops, I don't want to know about it
-- and I want, in some way, to have the same effect on a reader
that my favourite authors had on me.
How has the Internet affected your writing process, if at all?
--------------------------------------------------------------
Through Genie I made contact with a number of writers, many of
whom were willing to discuss the entire novel writing process
from their own experience and their own unique perspectives. I
know a lot of writers who don't. They don't discuss structure,
or viewpoint, or any of the technical points that in total -are-
the craft of writing. And I know authors who discuss process
only because they're trying to write Important Books. I'm sorry,
but you -don't- write for depth or significance -- those
accolades are decided, long after the process of writing the book
is finished, by intelligent readers. But there are authors who
discuss process with a lovely intellectual fervor that makes the
whole of writing (never mind what) seem a process of
illumination, and these writers are the writers with whom I talk
about writing.
Do you feel that a beginning author needs an agent?
---------------------------------------------------
Let me answer this question with a Very Big Caveat: I am a
control freak. I am a writer who doesn't like to let go of her
work. I am a writer who takes criticism personally, and who
therefore has to be quite vulnerable when it comes to dealing
with editors -- which means that I want to feel -personally-
certain that an editor who is working on my books is a person
whom I trust (I'm usually wary of publishers, which is not the
same as editors, and its a distinction that's often difficult to
make). Because I -need- my editor. I don't belong to a writer's
workshop, and my style of writing doesn't particularly lend
itself to the experience, for better or worse. I like to work
with an editor because I don't have to wait for a bone-grinding
consensus; the editor knows what she feels does and doesn't work,
and she doesn't hesitate to let me know. We work together as a
team. But it means that I need some face-to-face contact,
preferably before the work starts.
This means that, in my case, I had a sense of what I wanted in an
editor, and it sort of got in the way of what my agent wanted in
a publisher <g>. And I had a terrific editorial experience,
and I
learned a -lot- about writing as a process, in the process -- but
I have to say that at this moment, I often think he was right in
the long run, and I often wonder what would have happened had I
listened to him. I'm not sorry that I made my own choice and
stuck with it -- because if his choice hadn't worked out, that
would have soured our relationship a great deal more; I've never
been as happy having to live with other people's mistakes as my
own.
I did not have an agent when I submitted my first novel to the
publisher that eventually did publish it. I acquired one in
between the revision and the sale -- and the reason I got an
agent is because a) everyone said I needed one and b) I didn't
want to argue with an editor about money. I did NOT think that I
needed an agent to read over the contract and tell me what I
could, and couldn't, change; I didn't need an agent to explain
what a contract means. Frankly, it's not the agent's signature
on the contract, it's -mine-; if I sign a bad contract, I'm the
one who's going to suffer for it, so I'm not going to sign a damn
thing I don't understand. But I wanted the agent as a buffer.
My agent works for -me-, but his business is the business of
agenting, period. He has to keep his contacts open; he's not
going to put his business and his business's interests aside just
because it would serve my interests, and I think it would be
naive to believe otherwise. I think a lot of writers forget this,
and I think it works against them. No agent is going to care as
much about your work as you do (although mine cares a lot), and I
think that too much trust and dependency on an agent is unhealthy
-- because it makes it harder to have that open, business-like
dialogue that's necessary to keep things running smoothly over
the course of years.
This is a very long winded and roundabout way of explaining what
my biases are and what my experience is.
I think an agent is essential to foreign language sales.
But I think that finding an agent is just as difficult as finding
a publisher, and I think that an agent is just as prone to treat
you marginally as a publisher is if you can't stick up for
yourself, and if your first couple of books don't fare well. I
can count on one hand the number of quiet, mousey or insecure
writers I know who get the attention I think they deserve from
their agent if their sales aren't already there, regardless of
the quality of their work. Agenting is a -business-. Publishing
is a -business-. That agents and editors and writers started out
in the field for love of the written word is the truth only
serves to confuse the issue; they care about their books. They
care about their jobs. They are not going to give up their job
for your book. Understand this, and you will be in a much better
position.
I know writers who listen to their agents when I would have fired
them on the spot. I know writers who -didn't- listen to their
agents when even the most fragile of common sense absolutely
decreed that they should.
So: Do I think that agents are necessary? Yes, but the right
ones take time and experience to find, and if it means trying a
few on for size first, I think that a writer -must- do this in
order to find an agent they can work comfortably with.
If you could go back in time and talk to yourself at the
beginning of your writing career, what advice would you give?
----------------------------------------------------------------
There are two halves to the answer of this question.
ONE:
Be more assertive. Trust your instincts.
If, on the other hand, you want advice that would be more useful
to writers, I would say that first and foremost would be this:
Get as complete an understanding of the publishing business as
you possibly can, as soon as you can. Work in a bookstore, even
part-time; pay attention to returns. Try to learn a bit about
how books are distributed and sold.
I realize that many, many people want an agent so they won't have
to deal with the business side of their career. This is well and
good. But how on earth do you know that the agent you've -chosen-
is capable of dealing with the business side of your career if
you don't understand the business reasonably well? An informed
consumer is always a good thing. Big name agents are not always
the agents you want, depending on what you want from an agent;
big name agents do well by some of their clients and poorly by
others; that's human nature. To make sure you that have an agent
who handles -your- business, know -the- business. Remember that
no matter how bad the agent is, it's not the agent who suffers
for the mishandling -- it's you.
Likewise with editors. An editor has a tricky job: to do the
best for your book -and- the best for the publisher. The
publisher pays her check. Understand then that she owes her
publisher a certain loyalty -- and if she can save the publisher
money, she's honour bound to do so. If she's a good editor, she
won't stint on the book, and she'll work to make the text itself
as good as it can be -- but caring about the book, the work, and
taking care of an author, are two very different things. Want an
editor who will do everything she can to sell the book -- and
understand who she works for while she's doing with it.
The more you know, the less surprised you'll be, which is
generally best for all concerned, agent, editor and writer.
TWO:
Write what you passionately care for, write what you believe in,
write with as much of your heart as you possibly can. This is a
business that can be so discouraging from time to time that I
think it wouldn't be a worthwhile business to be in if you didn't
have a great conviction in your vision, your stories.
Be true to your books, and in the end, I think that readers will
know and forgive those flaws that you yourself, as a beginning
writer, couldn't help but include in your first work. This has
proved true of my own early work, and I'm profoundly grateful for
the fact that I did the best I possibly could even when I was
tired to death of rewrites and revisions and just wanted to be
-done-. My editor said that a great writer is really a great
re-writer, and I've never forgotten that; it's a learned and
valuable truth.
================================================================
Ask The Experts
---------------
*** Please put "inklings question" in the subject header. ***
Judith Bowen (ROMANCE WRITER) jbowen@max-net.com
Susan Graham (AGENT) slgraham@atl.mindspring.com
Paula Guran (HORROR WRITER) DarkEcho@aol.com
Carol Henson (BOOK DOCTOR) UBKX12C@Prodigy.com
Ken Jenks (ELECTRONIC PUBLISHER) MindsEye@tale.com
Michelle Sagara (SF/FANTASY WRITER) Michelle.Sagara@sff.net
Lee Wardlaw (CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITER) Katknip2@aol.com
Marcia Yudkin (FREELANCE WRITER) send to editor@inklings.com
Sharon Zukowski (MYSTERY/SPY WRITER) 76372.2252@CompuServe.COM
Columnists may be unable to reply privately to every message, but
will answer selected questions in future issues of Inklings.
================================================================
ASK THE HORROR WRITER
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Paula Guran
<DarkEcho@aol.com>
Q: Why submit to the small press?
---------------------------------
Most beginning writers will come across the following advice at
some point: Always start submitting your story to suitable
"professional" markets, the higher paying the better. If rejected
by the top paying markets, then try the slightly lower paying
ones. Avoid the small press magazines that pay only minimally or
in contributors' copies.
It's good advice for most writers - but not those writing for the
horror market.
Why? It's simply a lack of market outlets. There are very few
professional or even semi-professional horror magazines and
magazines that are outside of the genre, but occasionally need
horror, seldom turn to a new writer.
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) considers 3 cents as the
lowest professional rate per word.
The instability - here today and gone tomorrow - of the small
press, as well as low circulation, are usually cited as other
reasons to avoid it. But horror is a small field and even the
professional magazines often have difficulty getting out on time.
As for circulation - there are currently only two U.S. purely
horror magazines ("Cemetery Dance" and "Worlds of Fantasy and
Horror") with circulations of more than 3000 that pay 3 cents a
word or more. Neither of them turned out 4 issues on time in
1995, but both seem to be back on schedule this year.
There are advantages to submitting to the small press that money
can't buy. Although there are rare writers who have the talent to
break into professional ranks at the very beginning, most people
find it easier to get those first crucial acceptances from the
small press.
Small press editors are putting their magazines out for the love
of horror not for any financial gain. Many of them try to give a
personal response to a writer or at least make comments on a
worthwhile pre-printed form. Occasionally such editorial feedback
can be of real benefit to the new writer.
And in horror, the small press has little negative connotation
and many magazines garner high respect. In 1996, the HWA awarded
its Bram Stoker Award for Outstanding Achievement in Short
Fiction to a story by the much accoladed Harlan Ellison. But the
story made its first appearance in the first issue of a small
press ezine, "Lore."
I'm not saying not to try the higher paying markets first - I am
saying that you should be aware that each genre has its own
specialized marketing problems for the writer to face. Realizing
from the start that there is little money and few markets in
horror will save you a lot of time and perhaps some grief.
==-----------------------------------------------------==
Paula Guran is a horror writer and editor of Bones, maintains the
Dark Fiction/Horror Writers Workshop on AOL, publishes a free
weekly electronic newsletter for horror writers and has just
launched OMNI Horror in conjunction with OMNI Magazine.
OMNI Horror: http://www.omnimag.com/darkecho
Bones: http://www,darkecho.com/Bones.html
DarkEcho's Horror Web: http://www.darkecho.com
Copyright (c) 1996 Paula Guran. All rights reserved.
================================================================
ASK THE MYSTERY/SPY AUTHOR
----------------------------------------------------------------
by Sharon Zukowski
<76372.2252@CompuServe.COM>
Finding a publisher for a detective novel
-----------------------------------------
Q: Assume no one's ever heard of you, you have a well-written,
polished, detective novel set in San Francisco, and you're
looking for a publisher. Who would you contact, and how? (I have
Writer's Market and Insider's Guide (Herman) but I'm trying to
target more efficiently.)
A: Like you, when I finished my first book, I had no connections
in the publishing world, I did not know any agents, editors, or
writers. So I'm living proof that it can be done.
Unless you have a lot of writing credits, boasting won't do you a
bit of good. I tend to think that a query letter should be
straightfoward. "Here's my book. It's about.... And I got your
name from... (a referral would be nice!). I hope you'll read my
book."
From what I can tell, the agent/editor is going to pay much more
attention to the manuscript than the letter. No need to be fancy
in the letter. Just don't make any typos and don't give them any
reason to have bad vibes about you when they start reading. I
always tell people, "Don't give them a reason to reject your
book." If your query letter doesn't give them a reason, then
it's a success.
Hey, I think an number of publishers would publish a book about a
white male detective--if it is indeed well-written. I look
forward to receiving an autographed copy of your book.
==-----------------------------------------------------==
Sharon Zukowski is author of the Blaine Stewart series and is
Section Leader for Sisters In Crime on Compuserve. Frequent
speaker at conferences and libraries on mystery writers, Sharon
is currently on the panel judging Best Original Paperback for the
1997 Edgar Awards.
Copyright (c) 1996 Sharon Zukowski. All rights reserved.
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